T in the Park had been held at Strathallan Castle for the last two years

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TRAVIS, Del Amitri, KT Tunstall and Amy Macdonald are among the top names to lament the passing of Scotland’s biggest music festival T In The Park.

Dels’ leader Justin Currie and Travis bass player Dougie Payne spoke of T’s unique atmosphere throughout its 22 year history.

It comes after the shock news that “the best festival in the world” would not be held next year.

Travis singer Fran Healy reckons organisers DF are due a rest.

He said: "Dance Factory have been throwing the best festival in the UK every year since 1994. I think they deserve a year off."

Bass player Dougie was among several who voiced their dismay after organisers DF Concerts announced the festival would not be held in 2017 for the first time since 1994.

The Travis man said: “We were really sad to hear there’s going to be a massive T shaped hole in next year’s festival season. T In The Park is special. To us and many many more it is the best festival in the world. T you will be sadly missed in 2017 but we’re sure you’ll come back stronger and better than ever in 2018.”

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Dels’ frontman Justin recalled playing the first incarnation of the festival at its Strathclyde Park base.

He said: “T in the Park was an inspired idea of Stuart Clumpas’ and it was a thrill to play the first festival in 1994 and get to see the early Oasis in incredible form. It became a right of passage for every teenager in the country with an interest in music and mayhem.

“I felt it lost a little when moving site from Strathclyde Park to Balado and inevitably became an unwieldy behemoth - too big, too brash, too bland.

“But I’ll never forget seeing Radiohead, Pulp and Primal Scream pull off big festival sets there without compromising their quirkiness - something that gave us hope that the mainstream could be an exciting place in the mid-nineties.”

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Scots singers KT Tunstall and Amy MacDonald, and Trashcan Sinatras’ founder member John Douglas also paid tribute TITP which drew the biggest international names in music to Strathclyde Park, Balado Airfield and Strathallan Castle over 22 years.

John, who played with the Traschans in 1995, said: “I hope it finds a suitable home. It brings the hit acts of the day to Scotland in a neat weekend package for the kids. I wish it was less booze-driven but if I was younger I probably wouldn’t.”

KT Tunstall paid tribute to the festival’s diverse lineup, and credited it for inspiring her to become a musician.

She said: “Playing T in the Park holds amazing memories for me. It was the first music festival I ever went to - I was singing backing vocals and playing percussion with King Creosote’s Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra 20 years ago this year, in 1996.

“I saw Radiohead, Beck, Alanis Morissette, The Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star. It was absolutely incredible and blew my little mind. I loved it so much, it became an incentive for me to find my way as a musician.

"My love affair for music festivals began at that T in the Park, and I made a pact with myself that I would only ever go to festivals if I managed to get on the line up. It took me 10 years to get back to T, and when I did, it was the most amazing day.

KT Tunstall

"Sun blazing, a massive crowd singing all the words to my songs, just an amazing atmosphere. Good luck TITP, take your time to get it right and come back with a bang.”

Amy Macdonald sounded a similarly optimistic note.

She said: “So many of my greatest memories include T in the Park with my friends. Sometimes we have to take a break to get our mojo back. I’ve done it plenty of times with my music and I fully expect T to be back in the future making amazing memories for people for many years to come.”

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He said: “My favourite memory though, is organising an ad hoc game of football in the middle of a traffic jam trying to exit the site in ‘95. I ordered my team to strip to the

waist to differentiate the two sides but one young lad refused on the grounds I must be a pervert.

“I explained that I wasn’t a pervert, just completely out of it and wouldn’t be able pass to him if I couldn’t tell who was in my team. That did the trick. Seven-three to us as I recall.”

Admiral Fallow (Image: Richard Frew/Daily Record)

Admiral Fallow frontman Louis Abbott, who had performed at the festival several times, wasn't shocked when he heard. But he acknowledged the importance of the event as a springboard for young bands.

He said: "The news was unsurprising to me. Given the unpredictable nature of the music industry as a whole perhaps it' no bad thing that the organisers take a step back and time to plan the future of thefestival.

"I think T In The Park and festivals like it are particularly important for young bands coming through on stages like TBreak and BBCintroducing, so for their sake I hope the festival returns soon."

Organisers DF Concerts opted not to go ahead with next year’s bash, citing “onerous site restrictions” and vowing to “take stock and take a year out to try to resolve the issues.”